An Etherious' Duty
by BlueFairyFT
Summary: Once Arvalez is defeated, Natsu confronts Zeref as both an Etherious and a Fairy Tail mage, thinking he's finally ready for the final battle. However, as his feelings prevent him from killing his brother, he decides to look for a way to stop him from suffering and hurting his guild mates while keeping him alive.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello~ ^-^ This is a one shot I wrote for Dragneel Brothers' Week on Tumblr (The Curse prompt), I've spent a lot of time working on it, checking it and changing ideas and stuff. So I hope my efforts won't be in vain. Enjoy! This story belongs to me but I don't own Fairy Tail's characters or its plot. There are few people here who seemed to appreciate my writing (and I'm thankful) so I decided to post this here too._**

 **Summary:** Once Arvalez is defeated, Natsu confronts Zeref as both an Etherious and a Fairy Tail mage, thinking he's finally ready for the final battle. However, as his feelings prevent him from killing his brother, he decides to look for a way to stop him from suffering and hurting his guild mates while keeping him alive.

 **Characters:** Natsu and Zeref, though Ankhseram has been mentioned. (And there are small hints of ZerVis and NaLu~)

 **Genres:** Mostly angst, but don't worry, there's a spark of hope at the end. ^-^ (Prepare some tissues, just in case)

 **Themes:** Friendship and brotherhood.

* * *

"I can smell him. He must be close." Natsu whispered, finally recognizing a familiar scent after running through the endless halls of the Royal Palace for what seemed like hours. He smirked at the exciting battle awaiting him. "I can finally show him how strong I've become. Heh, I'm all fired up!" He unleashed his wings, flying towards the source. The halls were wide enough for him to soar freely even in that closed space. He increased his speed, burning the guards in his way with no care in the world. He was a kind-hearted person and life in general vas valuable to him, but they were at war, and he would kill his enemies with no mercy. He was a reincarnated Etherious, after all, and he would annihilate those who had the courage to stand against him. His cold-heartedness and ability to kill without hesitation as well as his powers made him play a huge role in the war. He was like a secret weapon, except it wasn't that much of a secret considering the identity of the enemy.

Thanks to the help of the other guilds of Ishgar, the Arvalez Army was defeated. It wasn't easy considering the huge difference in numbers, but with the invincible E.N.D. and the –dead- Fairy Tactician on their side, Fairy Tail successfully wiped out the enemies. Even the Spriggan Twelve were taken down by the strongest S-Class Wizards and some Wizard Saints. Only Zeref was left, and defeating him was, obviously, entrusted to Natsu.

He continued flying, following the scent, until he saw a huge, well-decorated gate. "There it is! That must be the throne room!" He would destroy it and burst into the room, but he somehow found himself landing on his feet instead.

"Huh? What's wrong with me? Why did I unconsciously stop all of a sudden?" He wondered, realizing he was frozen in place and slightly shaking. "Why… Why am I scared? It's not like… It's not like he will harm me… So why am I scared of facing him?" He swallowed and took a deep breath. "I have nothing to fear. He won't hurt me, he does approve of the mission I'm bearing… The mission of killing him… Killing… He will oblige me to kill him… Is that what I'm scared of? Why am I freaking over that? It's my mission, and it has been since I've been resurrected. But do I want that? I… No… I can't turn back, not after all of this!" He shook his head to drive these thoughts away and destroyed the gigantic door with one blow before getting in. He found himself welcomed by a smirking Emperor sitting on his throne.

"So you finally came, Natsu… Or is it E.N.D?" The Demon bit his lip as he remembered their conversation in Tartaros' Cube.

 _Only you or E.N.D. will reach me._

"If you're asking me whether I'm confronting you for the sake of my friends or because of my duty as an Etherious…" He replied, trying to hide his frustration. "Then I'd say both."

"Oh?" Zeref tilted his head. "Well that was unexpected." He stood up and took a few steps towards his brother. "So, are you ready?"

"To fight you? Hell yes!" He answered, clenching his fist as his eyes glowed with anticipation.

"No. Make it quick. Are you ready to _kill_ me?" Zeref questioned again.

Natsu's excitement faded. He Looked down and sighed as hesitation hit him again. Was he mentally prepared to put an end to that person's life?

"I have prepared a convenient curse." He said, trying to hide his confusion.

"It won't work." The Black Mage pointed out.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You didn't even—"

"It doesn't matter what kind of curse you came up with, it won't have enough curse power to lift my immortality, not as you are now." He interrupted.

"Stop underestimating me!" Natsu yelled.

"I am not." Zeref calmly replied. "But you know better than me that, unlike magic power, curse power is gained by negative emotions and feelings." He walked towards him and looked at him right in the eye. "There is no hatred reflected in your eyes, just rage. You don't despise me enough."

Natsu's eyes widened as realization hit him. He understood the reason why he felt his heart ache a little every time someone reminded him of his mission or mentioned killing Zeref in general, the reason why despite his determination, something was off about the whole thing, the reason why he sometimes felt like crying when he was developing the curse. It has always been there. He has denied it, ignored it, hidden it, but it has been there all along.

The brotherly love he felt towards Zeref.

He took few steps back, increasing the distance between them.

"That's not true. It's not that I don't despise you enough." He said, blankly looking at the ground. "I don't despise you at all."

Zeref blinked, not believing what he has just heard. "That's impossible" He noted, managing to keep a calm tone despite his frustration. "After all I've done. You can't possibly…" He stopped talking for a second before smirking. "Do I need to kill one of your friends to make you hate me?"

The shock in Natsu's eyes was enough to make him chuckle slightly.

"Who would it be? Hmm… That Celestial Mage would do… You seem really attached to her. Or that blue cat, maybe-"

Before realizing it, the Black Mage was sent flying in the air by a punch and found himself lying on the ground, with the Demon on top of him. He looked up and his worries faded as he noticed a death glare directed at him.

"Listen, you bastard." The Fairy Tail member spoke, grabbing his sibling by the collar. "Lay one finger on my guild mates and I'll—"

"'—kill you', right?" Zeref guessed, smiling slightly. "That's why I will do it."

"I'll burn you to ashes!" The Demon replied, making his brother sigh.

"Right, I would _probably_ die from that." The Emperor said sarcastically, although his eyes reflected annoyance.

"You wouldn't die but you'd experience the unbearable pain of being burned alive." Natsu said, a sadistic smile on his face.

"Why?" He asked, raising his voice as he started getting irritated. "Why won't you just end this at once?"

The pink-haired Mage let go of his brother and stood up. "I don't want to." He protested, crossing his arms. "What are you gonna do about that?"

"Do you think you have a choice? Don't you remember who you are?" Zeref reminded him, getting off the ground. "It doesn't matter whether you want to or not, you're a reincarnated Demon from the Books of Zeref, and you unconsciously have that desire to kill me. Even though neither your soul nor your body were created by me, I managed to implant that order into your genes, and you have to follow it, you _will_ follow it. Destroying me is your fate. It's, as you mentioned before, your duty as an Etherious, and there's no running away from your responsibilities."

" _My_ responsibilities, you say?" Natsu asked furiously. "Why should I be responsible for correcting _your_ mistakes? Do you think you can simply bring me back to life and oblige me, by all means, to face this 'fate'? Sorry but I won't let you hurt my friends for your selfish death wish!"

"Selfish? You're calling me selfish?" The Black Wizard pulled the Demon, his eyes glowing crimson red as his irritation turned into anger. "Who do you think I've gone through all of this for? I've known I shouldn't have even thought of bringing back the dead, but I still chose to defy the Gods. You know why? Because I couldn't get over your death, I chose the wrong path just in order to let you live again. So return that favor and kill me!"

"It's not my fault is it?" Natsu shouted. "Did I ask or even want to be resurrected?"

"Wait… You…" Zeref's eyes returned to their natural black color as his anger was replaced by shock. "You didn't… Want it?"

Natsu grabbed him by the collar again. "If… If…" His teeth clenched and he tightened his grip, looking at the ground and shaking. "If the price to pay for a second life is to see a member of my family suffer a punishment worse than death and lose his sanity... If the attempt or even thought of bringing me back to life indirectly brought chaos and darkness into this world… If living again means getting attached to people and bearing the constant fear of losing them… If my fate is to dirty my hands with my own sibling's blood in order to protect my friends…" He raised his head and stared at the black-haired man, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Then I'm better off dead!"

"Natsu…" Zeref mumbled, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You can't just resurrect your brother and expect him to kill you easily. It's not like I've forgiven you for all the pain you have caused directly and indirectly to those dear to me, but I still can't eliminate you… Because deep down, I know all of this happened because you wanted me back. What do you think I am? I may be the strongest Etherious, but I'm still a human being and I have feelings! Damn it. Why are you doing this? Why would you try to use my own friends to provoke me? Do you even care about me anymore? Were you still determined on giving me a chance to live again by the time you resurrected me or was it just to fulfill your wish? Answer me, Zeref!"

The Black Mage stared at his brother with a mix of guilt and disappointment. "So he's not capable of killing me, after all…" He thought, looking away and sighing. "I'm… Sorry. I know you will never forgive me for what I've done, but I'm sorry." He apologized. Few tears started forming in his eyes. "Do you think I enjoyed making you suffer? Do you think seeing you crying right now isn't hurting me? It's just that… I'm too desperate. I've been bearing this curse for more than four hundred years already. I've had enough of this miserable life. So please, _please_ , I'm begging you, put an end to all of this! I can't take it anymore!" He looked at the pinkette again with teary eyes that made his heart break into pieces, yet somehow relieved him as his sibling entered the 'good' state. "I don't want to live like this anymore, either hating everyone or killing people unwillingly… Even my thoughts and feelings became contradictory. I don't know what's right and wrong anymore... I want… To… Die... _Arggg!_ "

Before Natsu could react, Zeref fell on his knees as black miasma was unleashed from his body, but instead of backing off, the Etherious pulled the cursed man and wrapped his arms around him. "Calm down, we will find a way to break this curse, so calm down."

"No… Get away… You'll… _Gahh…_ "

"If the curse could kill me I would have died since this matter was unleashed. Don't worry. I, of all people, can't die from this." Natsu reassured him softly.

Once the black wave faded, Zeref pulled away and looked up only to notice that Natsu's scarf was oddly as white as ever. "How?" He asked, wiping his tears away. "Shouldn't it turn black after absorbing my magic? Why is its color still the same?"

"Because it didn't absorb anything." Natsu replied, reaching for his muffler and holding it firmly, a faint smile on his face. "Since it's an anti-Ankhseram Magic item, I decided to study it and create a barrier using my curses to protect myself from you, just in case. You know, I don't want Igneel's memento to turn black again."

"A barrier?" The mage repeated. "So… You're technically immune to Ankhseram's Contradiction Curse…"

"Yes… Oh… Now that I think about it… Does Ankhseram use any other magic?"

"Huh? What kind of question is this?" Zeref replied, raising an eyebrow. "How the hell am I supposed to know? I mean, he probably does. He's the God of Life and Death so he has to be all mighty…"

"Because reaping my soul simply will be hard for him considering I've been resurrected as a Demon, so if his magic can't work on me either then… I would have chances of survival if I fight him. Hehe!" He said with a grin.

"Fight… Wait, what did you just say?" The older brother asked, blinking.

"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm going to fight him!" He answered, holding his brother's hands, a smile on his face as he went back to his dorky self after the atmosphere became less tense between them. "I won't kill you, but I won't let you suffer nor will I let you destroy this world any longer. I'll kick Ankhseram's ass and set you free! You'll be able to live like a normal human again. Your Empire's citizens still like and accept you even though they discovered who you are, and most of your generals have survived, so how about restoring it and living here? I mean my friends would understand since they know about your story, as long as you stay away from our guild, I guess. Plus, if I take you to Fiore, the Magic Council would try to capture you, it's not like I would let them hurt you anyway but, it'd be safer here so-"

"Natsu, hold on!" Zeref interrupted the Etherious, trying to process the information he was receiving. "Are you fully aware of what you're saying?"

"Yeah?"

"Gods are what keep our world stable and protect its order." Zeref started to explain. "And you're planning on eliminating one for the sake of a human that you could just kill? Do you even know what would happen if the God of Life and Death were to disappear? You said you wanted to stop me from destroying this world but that's what you're indirectly going to do."

"You're not 'a human that I could just kill', you're my brother. Besides, it's not just for you. This God is evil." Natsu replied.

"Gods are neither good nor bad. They just bear their missions." The Black Mage said calmly.

"And his mission is to maintain balance, right? But he's just ruining it!" Natsu argued. "What kind of God messes with a human's thoughts and body and makes him kill everybody around him, pretending to punish him for wanting to bring back the dead? In both cases the natural process of life and death he was trying to protect would be ruined. If he wanted to punish you he would have killed you. He's probably evil, he must have used this opportunity to indirectly annihilate humanity. He's just manipulating you!"

Zeref took a moment to think it over. His younger brother would rarely use his brain or say something smart, but maybe he did have a point. "I don't know, if you put it that way…" He shook his head." No, we're not allowed to judge him like that! I'm a sinner and I got punished for playing God… Plus… How do you think you can kill him?"

"What was that? Aren't you confident about your ultimate masterpiece?" The pink-haired Demon pouted. "I'm the strongest Etherious. I'm supposed to be one of the vilest creatures of History. And even if my curses don't work, I'd find a way. I'm ready to learn God Slaying Magic if it kills him!"

"That's not the main problem… How can you even reach a God? How do you think you can leave the human realm?" The Black Wizard questioned.

"Well… I… Emm…" Natsu looked away, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know… Maybe… There's a way of summoning him or something…?"

Zeref sighed. His sibling hasn't changed in four hundred years. "Idiot." He mumbled.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you inherited all of our parents' intelligence!" The Etherious yelled.

"… That's not how genetics work. That's not how genetics work at all, Natsu."

"Yeah, whatever. I know nothing about that, because I'm not a genius like all-knowing Big Brother." The Fairy Tail member said, crossing his arms. "Big Brother's a prodigy. Big Brother studied about life and death and even managed to conserve my corpse at a very young age. Big Brother created Demons and resurrected the dead. And I'm stupid and have no brain— _Ouch!_ " He got hit on the head. "What was that for?"

"Told you, that's not how genetics work… Idiot." Zeref replied calmly.

"That's the second time, now!" The Reincarnated Demon shouted.

"That's because you're an idiot. Do you seriously think you're going to find, let alone beat Ankhseram?" Alvarez' Emperor asked, looking blankly at the ground. "Will that even lift my curse? Can someone like me obtain freedom? I mean, the last time someone tried to give me hope and love, I unconsciously killed her-"

"It's different this time." Natsu interrupted his brother, pulling him into a hug. "I'll save you, I promise. Consider it... My new duty as an Etherious, and as your younger sibling."

"You don't have to go that far for me, you know." The Mage protested, hugging his brother back.

"Shut up! You've gone further than that in order to let me live again. I will never be able to repay you for that." Tartaros' Master argued, pulling away slowly. "And about that… I said I didn't want this second life but… It's not true, I was just angry… I'm actually enjoying it, well, except for the fact that you almost killed all of my friends… Don't do that again, or I'll really burn you alive, okay? I won't let anyone, not even my brother, harm those dear to me!"

Zeref smiled. "So my sacrifices haven't gone to waste… I'm really glad."

"There's something I need to do after all of this ends." Natsu whispered, blushing.

"Which is?"

"Well… There's someone I want to confess to." He replied, grinning.

"Really? Who?" Zeref asked curiously.

"Lucy, that Celestial Wizard with blond hair."

"Oh?" The Black Wizard ruffled his brother's hair. "You've grown up. I just hope your love life won't be unfortunate like mine."

"Nah, she's not suffering from any curse. Plus, Master Mavis still loves you. Too bad you can't see her Astral body-ghost-thingy like we do. You'll probably reunite in the afterlife."

"After all I've done to her guild? I doubt it." He replied, sighing deeply. "Anyway, good luck."

"Thanks, I just hope she doesn't reject me. But before that, I need to find a way to reach that God. I hate reading books but I guess I'll need to study about him." He started walking towards the gate he destroyed and waved at his brother. "You, stay here. The Palace is mostly empty because I burned everyone on my way, so don't worry about killing your 'pawns' if you start valuing their lives."

The black-haired man nodded. "Natsu." He called out, making his sibling turn around. "Please, don't get yourself killed."

"As if! I'm the Mighty E.N.D, I won't die!" He grinned, a look of confidence on his face. "I'll show these Gods the power of Zeref's Strongest Demon!"

Those words managed to make the Dark Wizard smile despite his worries. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to believe in you."

The Etherious walked away until he was no longer in sight, and Emperor 'Spriggan' sat on his throne, feeling relaxed and hopeful for the first time in four hundred years. "Well, who thought it would turn out like that?"

* * *

 ** _Thanks for reading! :D As always, please leave a review, wether it's positive or negative, as long as its respectful, that'd mean a lot. :D_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Yo~ It's me again, with a new chapter, yay~ (Sorry for being too late, I've been busy with studies and exams and all of that stuff. ;-; I know it's not an excuse to slack off but… ;-;)_**

 ** _As you all know, this story was supposed to be a one shot, but you guys seemed to enjoy it and asked for more, and I'm really thankful! I hope this chapter will be up to your expectations._**

 ** _Here's Natsu's fight against Ankhseram (female Ankhseram to be precise, since I made a poll and most of you guys wanted a Goddess), but just saying, the chapter will not focus on their fight at all actually, but mostly on revelations (according to my theory) and it'll be mostly a battle of minds, just wanted to inform you so that you don't get your hopes too high. ^^' Enjoy!_**

 ** _Also, I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters, except my (kind of?) OC._**

* * *

Zeref sighed as he closed the book in his hands, it was the fifth one he has read today. It has been two weeks since Natsu went back to Fiore, so he decided to start researching Gods on his own, but it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. "Gods feared that something stronger than them would be created so they forbade Living Magic, huh? That makes sense, but how's that supposed to help?" He put it on the table next to him before a faint smile drew on his lips. "Well, that means Natsu might stand a chance at least." Before he could collect the books to take them back to the Palace's Library, a voice behind him made him jump off his chair.

"I 'might' stand a chance? Ya bet!" He turned around to see his younger brother standing in his bedroom's balcony, a grin on his face, like it was completely normal. "Yo, Zeref!"

"Where… Where the Hell did you come from?" He asked, pointing at the demon.

"The sky?" Natsu said, tilting his head and walking towards his sibling as his Etherious wings disappeared.

"You could've just… Walked through the front gate and then looked for my room, you know… Don't scare me like that again!" Zeref scolded, crossing his arms and earning a chuckle from the Fairy Tail member.

"Ohh, Big Brother's angry! Are you gonna punish me now or something?" The Etherious threw his arm around the Mage's shoulder. "I just wanted to see you. How have you been? How's your curse?"

"Fine, my state has been quite stable lately, I guess..." The older Dragneel answered, feeling slightly happy that his brother was worried about him. "So, have you learnt anything useful?"

"Yup! I learned that if someone kills a God, whether using God Slaying Magic or other means, like my Curses, they'd replace them and bear their duties, I still have no idea how to reach one, but at least we don't have to worry about drowning the world in chaos by leaving the cycle of Life and Death without a protector, right?"

"Well, that confirms the information I found. If they thought of the possibility that something or someone could kill them, they'd come up with a system to keep the world stable if one of them were to die."

"And it means there _is_ a way to reach them. I just need to find it!" The Demon held his brother's hands firmly. "Just endure this curse a little bit more, you'll be free soon, I promise!"

The Black Wizard nodded. "Alright, I trust you."

"Okay, now show me the way to your library so that I can— Huh?" He stopped talking, noticing that the man was glowing. "Zeref, you're shining."

"You are, too." The mage pointed out, his eyes wide.

And in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a completely different dimension.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Natsu looked around, they were surrounded by endless darkness, if not for the countless tiny light orbs that were floating around illuminating the place. He recognized them instantly: Souls, just like the ones he saw in Tartaros' Cube after defeating Franmalth.

"It seems we were teleported, but by who?" The Black Wizard wondered before looking towards his sibling. "You seem pretty calm, you'd normally start screaming and telling whoever brought us here to show themselves."

"It's just that… I've got a strong feeling of déjà vu." Natsu answered, trying to recall a foggy memory. "I'm pretty sure I've seen this, but I can't remember when…"

"It's because you've been here before." A voice behind them spoke. "This is the realm of the dead."

They turned around to see a woman walking in their direction and her confusing aura caught Natsu's attention right away. She was fully glowing light blue, like the souls, yet was surrounded by black miasma that resembled Zeref's magic. Her presence held a mix of _life_ and _death_.  
He focused more on her appearance as she got closer. She had straight, black hair that reached her waist, and was wearing a long, high-neck, beaded white dress along with wide separate sleeves. The collar and cuffs were violet, just like the gemstone Natsu couldn't identify that she had on her forehead. He then looked into her eyes and confusion hit him again. They were beautiful, even stunning, of bluish grey, a color that seemed to him _lively_ , yet were blank, void, with no sign of emotion, as if she were _dead_.

 _She was a walking contradiction._

"You two have been angering me lately, so I decided to summon you here." She stated, with a soft voice yet an intimidating tone, as she stood few meters away from them. "Give up on your wicked thoughts, and I will let you leave."

The siblings stepped back and took their fighting positions, ready to defend themselves if she were to attack. They glanced quickly at each other, and that's all it took for them to communicate through their brotherly instincts. They agreed on one thing. The person in front of them was definitely not a human.

"Give up on what exactly?" Natsu questioned.

"On going against your fate, that is." She said, earning a suspicious glare from the demon.

"That thing doesn't seem to be human, her presence is not of one. Besides, that dark matter…" Zeref thought, looking closely at the substance surrounding her. "Could it be that she's cursed? No, no way, as far as I know, it only works on humans... But if she's not a normal mortal being, then…"

And without thinking twice, he launched a Death Orb towards her, but instead of dodging, she simply received it, and it didn't affect her at all, but instead, the magic mixed with her own miasma. "Then it's confirmed. She possesses Ankhseram's Black Magic." He took a deep breath to stop himself from panicking.

"Using the powers I gave you against me? How ungrateful of you. That's futile, though." She commented with a slight mocking smile.

"… Huh?" The brothers blinked, not processing what they've just heard.

"Oh, it seems I have forgotten to introduce myself." She spoke, taking few steps towards them. "I am Ankhseram, the Deity of Life and Death."

Natsu gasped and froze for a moment, before pulling himself together as the Divine being got closer to Zeref who could not help but tremble in fear, which quite amused her.

"What is it? Are you scared? You were too determined to break free, and you even started to look for ways to defeat me, so what happened?" A smirk drew on her lips, and a shiver coursed down his body as she put her hand on his cheek. "Has meeting the Goddess that has been tormenting you for four centuries made you realize how weak and powerless you are?"

"Hands off!" The demon, now in his Etherious form, shoved his brother off her and jumped back, wrapping his arms and wings around him in a protective stance. "Stay away from him!"

"Is that so?" Ankhseram frowned. Was he giving her an order? "You know, I don't need to be in the same dimension as him, let alone touch him, to do _this_."

Before he could respond, Natsu heard small pants and unfolded his wings as the man in his arms fell on his knees, holding his head between his hands. "Zeref? What's wrong? Is something hurting you?" He asked with concern, then looked at the Goddess demanding an explanation as he got no response from him.

"I'm torturing him psychologically. His thoughts are a contradictory mess." She said calmly. "Although, I could give him physical pain as well, but that should be enough for now."

"Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" Natsu asked, holding his sibling firmly.

"Give up on your rebellion against me, or else..." She ordered, glancing at Zeref who started to calm down as she stopped, or rather paused, her 'torture session'. "Your beloved big brother will suffer more than he already has in the past four hundred years."

"YOU—"

"Don't you _dare_ insult a God." She threatened, glaring at him. "A lowly human—No, _demon_ like you should know his limits."

The Black Wizard stood up with his brother's help, and protested with hesitation, unable to look her in the eye. "What… What have I done to deserve this?"

"You were a threat to the stability of life and death, I had to stop you." She answered, angering Natsu even more. "Yet that didn't stop you from performing the forbidden."

"Nonsense! If you wanted to punish him you wouldn't have involved all of humanity into this!" The Demon shouted, despite his brother's attempts to hold him back. "This curse hasn't only affected him, but has changed history, how is that supposed to keep the world stable, Goddess of Life and Death?!"

Ankhseram narrowed her eyes at the statement. "This filthy demon…" As she muttered under her breath, Zeref collapsed on the ground shrieking in pain, black matter forming around him. Natsu's worried expression satisfied her.

"I've warned you. Continue struggling, and he'll bear the consequences." She repeated coldly, causing the Etherious to launch a Curse attack that she blocked by summoning a dozen of souls which got burnt as a result.

Natsu clenched his teeth. He didn't know some Gods could sink lower than demons. Not only was she using a member of his family to lure him, but she made a shield out of people?

"You shouldn't have done that. When someone's soul gets destroyed in this form, they vanish from the afterlife, well, existence in general." The Goddess stated. "What if your parents were one of them? You'd never be able to meet them when you die…"

"Our… Parents?" Zeref managed to let out as his magic faded. "N-No…"

"That'd be one more reason to destroy you!" Natsu replied, wrapping his arms around the cursed man in an attempt to calm him down, even a little. "You curse the living and use the dead to protect yourself? What kind of Goddess are you?"

"What are you trying to achieve, demon?"

"Making you stop this meaningless act and show your true colors. You obviously don't care about mankind or the world's balance." He answered, and widened in surprise as the supposedly calm Deity started laughing, almost hysterically.

"If that's what you want, then fine, I'll admit it. Not that you'd be able to do anything with this information, anyway." She spoke between chuckles. "Demon, that 'theory' of yours was correct. I'm an 'evil' God like you said. I've been manipulating your brother to destroy humanity. So, what are you going to do about it?"

Even though his eyes reflected disgust, the Etherious was satisfied, knowing that the sins the Black Wizard has committed were planned by her, which confirmed that he was pure at heart. His sibling, however, did not take it that well. The idea of being used as her pawn made his state even worse.

"Manipulating me…?" He repeated, his voice shaking. "Why? If you wanted to get rid of humans you could've just killed them, so, why?" He didn't even bother asking about her reasons for seeking the destruction of the human race, he figured the hatred he has felt towards it at some points in his life was probably triggered by her own feelings.

"It's not that simple. You see, if I did it directly, the other Gods would have turned against me, so I decided to create someone different, a prodigy that would have the intelligence and stubbornness to go against the Divine teachings, this way, I would use him while making everybody else —humans and Gods— think of it as his punishment. Clever, isn't it? " The Goddess explained, walking around them in circles. "Your family members' death, your attempts to resurrect your brother, as well as everything you've done after I cursed you… All of that was planned before your birth,"

"Everything I've done?" He asked. "Even learning Living Magic?"

"Yes. I thought making you create demons would drown the world in chaos."

"And funding Arvalez Empire?"

"I planned it for the same reason."

"… Loving Mavis?"

"Of course, I made you love her and cursed her to make you think her immortality would prevent you from killing her, then I took her away from you." She said, a vile smirk on her lips. "Finding hope after centuries then losing it right away would only deepen one's despair. You started to value life again at that time, so I drove you into the darkness."

"Then… Then what about bringing Natsu back…?"

"I manipulated you to do that as well. I figured he wouldn't be able to kill you, yet I made him your last hope. That was another way to make you fall into even deeper darkness…" She replied, glancing at the Etherious, who seemed unusually calm and didn't even look back at her, but instead was physically comforting his sibling. "Him going against me, however, was beyond my expectations."

"In other words… Nothing I've ever done… Was of my own will…" He concluded with a desperate tone that amused her even more.

"Correct. You've been my puppet since the very beginning, that's your fate, so just accept it, and obey all of my commands." She ordered.

"No… I… I don't want to be used by you anymore!" He screamed, looking up at her reluctantly, making her panic, not out of fear, but out of shock.

After all that he has been through, something was off about his reaction.

"You'd better follow all of my orders, if you don't want me to torment you even more, that is." She warned in an attempt to change his mind. "You don't have a choice."

"Yes he does, it's his own damn life!" Natsu protested, helping Zeref get off the ground. "And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"Oh? Then how about this?"

Nothing happened.

Ankhseram widened. "Impossible… My…" She thought, panicking even more. "My powers… Aren't working on him… How?"

The Black Wizard blinked in confusion, and looked towards the smirking demon, trying to get a glimpse of what was going on.

"Your Contradictory Curse affects emotions in the first place, right? Well guess what? That won't work anymore! ~" He said, content of his success. "I got him stuck between good and evil, in a state where he doesn't value life but doesn't despise it either, meaning he can control his powers without feeling like killing people off. Looks like my new curse is stronger than yours! ~"

"No way…" The Goddess backed away, as she felt her precious 'pawn' being stolen from her.

"You can temper with people's feelings? Since when?" Zeref asked, testing his magic out.

"I've been working on this curse since we last met, and now it's complete!" Natsu grinned with pride.

"In only two weeks?!"

"Not quite. Remember that spell you used in Cube to stop time? I read in some ancient magic books that when it's used, whatever happens is unseen to Gods, except the Deity of Time or something like that. So I learned it in order to keep my work a secret from her." He explained, then stared at the Goddess. "I also created a curse that prevents one's soul to be reaped by anyone —even you— and placed it on my friends, so don't try to put their lives on the line in order to stop me, that'd be futile."

The Mage noticed the Divine being slightly shaking and the frustration on her face as his younger sibling walked towards her, and finally understood the reason why Living Magic was forbidden. Demons could exceed Gods, and the fact that his usually idiotic relative thought one step ahead filled him with pride.

"Woah, is _the almighty Ankhseram_ scared of _a lowly demon_?" Natsu teased. "You know, the information I gave Zeref about dead Gods being replaced wasn't the only thing I learned. I've read about you a lot in secret. You're considered one of the strongest Gods because you can kill anyone without a single move, and know how to control humans' feelings, but because I'm a demon, and because I created a barrier to protect myself from your magic, you can't kill me. You also can't curse me, and you're out of people to use as hostages. All of your strengths have become weaknesses! ~ What are you going to do now? ~"

"Silence!" The enraged Goddess shouted, attacking him with her Black Magic, but he remained unscathed.

"Told you, it's useless… Are you going mad because you're powerless against me?" He mocked, getting closer to her as a yellowish black flame formed around his whole body. "Oh, and one more thing, I once absorbed the flames of a God Slayer, during the unlimited time I had for the past two weeks, I managed to combine them with my curses. Since you're almost defenseless right now, the powers of a demon _and_ magic that slays Gods would kill you easily, right?"

Ankhseram shielded herself with souls again, only for him to break through, scattering them around him. "Let's keep humans away from this, shall we, Goddess?"

Since she could still use her magic for defense, it took him quite some time and effort to defeat her despite being the most powerful Etherious. Zeref observed the whole fight from a distance, not feeling the slightest worry, until the Deity's death marked its end.

"At last, I don't feel her magic inside me anymore, this feels quite… Unnatural." He spoke, walking in his younger sibling's direction and noticing a bigger soul surrounded by that same miasma next to him. "Is that her core? Are her powers stored there?"

"Yeah, I just have to touch it to—"

"No, you shouldn't." Zeref interrupted him, tapping him on the shoulder. "I'll do it instead, I'll become the new God of Life and Death."

"I can't let you do that!" The pinket yelled.

"We both know I'm more responsible than you are. Besides, I may have been controlled by her but I've still committed a lot of crimes, I'll atone for my sins by looking after humanity—"

"But then…" Natsu looked down. "But then you won't be able to experience living like a normal human again…"

"It's fine." He replied, walking towards the Divine soul and reaching for it. "You have people you need to live for, don't you? So let me do it."

"But I… W-Wait!" He was about to protest but it was too late, the Mage has already acquired the Deity's powers. His reflexes weren't that good after all. "Jeez!"

"It's better this way." Zeref smiled, stroking his brother's hair. "It's not like I'm going to die, I'll summon you here whenever you want to see me, okay?"

"That's not the problem… I just wanted you to live normally…"

"It's alright, it'd be more than enough for me to see you happy with those you hold dear. Speaking of which, since I'm the God of life now, I'll make sure to bless you and Lucy with lots of cute babies." He teased and smirked as the demon's cheeks turned pink. "Aw, are you blushing? Listen, I'll send you back now, and I want you to confess to her soon, okay?"

"Shut up!" Natsu screamed, playfully punching him.

"Now now, that's _not_ how you should worship Gods."

The Etherious raised an eyebrow. "Worship? Not even in your dreams!"

"Come on, I'm just teasing you." Zeref pulled the Fairy Tail member into a hug. "Thank you for everything, Natsu."

"It's nothing, really. Just make sure you bring me here sometimes, don't forget about me!" Natsu replied as he hugged his brother back.

"Alright, it's a promise."

Few seconds after hearing those words, the demon found himself in Earthland again. "Idiot…" He mumbled, wiping a tear that fell on his cheek.

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed it~ And lemme see your impressions in the reviews. :D**_


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